flack



(No Model.)

M.C.FLAGK. LINE RING POR HARNESS.

No. 509,026. Patented Nov. 21, 418,93.l

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORTIMER O. FLAOK, OF LAKE GENEVA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-'HALF TO JOHN G. FLAOK, OF ELKHORN, AND DANIEL GROSS, OF LAKE GENEVA,

WISCONSIN.

LINE-RING FOR HARNESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,026, dated November 21, 1893. lApplication tiled March 15. 1898. Serial No. 466,096. (No model.)

llo a/ZZ whom it-mwyconcern:

Be it known that 1, MORTIMER C. FLAOK, a citizen of the UnitedV States, residing at- Lake Geneva, inthe count-y of Walworth and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Line-Ring for Harness, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvementsin harness, and' has particular reference to the struction of ring.

guide rings employed on the haines, and to the spreader rings employed in double harness. y l

As is well known,the fiat reins are now extensively used and are preferable for many reasons; and furthermore, that said reins are injured by becoming twisted, which twist-ing`v naturally occurs in rear of the rein guides.

'The reins being flat, andtwisted rst on one side and then on the other naturally thev edges thereof are strained more than the intermediate portions and hence become turned, as it were, at the edges and rendered unfit and unsafe for use. Y

The objects of my invention are to so construct the guide rings employed at the hames, and also the guide rings employedin double harness, as spreader-s so that they will prevent the twisting of the reins after the same have once been placed in position. This might readily be accomplished by a peculiar formation of. the opening `in the rings, and inasmuch as it is often necessary to withdraw the reins from the rings, it is essential 'that the a openings in the rings be sufficiently large `to permit of the ready passage of the buckles and other attachments of the reins. i

With these objects in view, the `invention consists in certain featuresof construction hereinafter specilied and particularly pointed out in the claims. Referring to the drawings: Figure l is an elevation of a haine section or a portion of a pair of hames, the same having a rein and rings therefor, all constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a modified con- Fig. 3 is a sectional View of that guide-rin g employed at the side oflthe hames, the same being shown open. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of themodified construction of the ring shown in Eig. 2.

Like'numerals indicate like parts. 1 designates a hame-section, and from the tion, but I prefer that the same'should be pivoted, as shown. The ring or frame comprises,

in the present instance, upper and lower endbars 5 and 6, respectively,and inner and outer side-bars, 7 and 8, respectively, the trunnions being a continuation of the inner bar, 7. The upper end-bar 5, is at its center, reduced to form a bearing-portion 8,which passes through an-'elongated slot 9, formedin a vertical central'tongue or swinging bar 10. The lower endof the slot 9 is formed with a countersink l1, and seated therein is a coil-spring l2, whose upper end bears against the lbearing portion, and therefore exerts a tendency to press the tongue downward. lhe tongue is very little longer than the vertlcal Width of the opening in the frame or ring, and therefore, whennototherwise inuenced, the spring projects the lower end of the tongue below the edge of cross-bar 6 of the ring or frame. The lower extremity of the tongue ghas a slight protuberance or lug 13, and the same is designed to engage with' a countersink or seat 14, formed in the 'center and at the inner side of the cross-bar 6. The seating of the lug in this cross-bar is accomplished by elevating the tongue lOvagainst the tension of th'e coiled spring l2. 'When once settled it will be seen that the 'bar is practically rigid and forms a-` dividing bar within the ring or frame whereby the latter is divided into two spaces or openings. It will be obvious that by elevating the' tongue and swinging the same outward the opening in the ring is thus doubled in width and will lreadily permit of the passage therethrough of lines 0r reins having buckles and other accessories, In single harness, the line passes between the inner bar 7 and the tongue, and indouble harness the sameexcept the spread rein 'which passes bet-Ween the outer bar 8 and the tongue, as is'shown in the present instance. If desired, a loose sleeve or ferrule 16L may be mounted 'upon the innerbar 7. or any of the other bars. This completes the construction of the guide bar employed at the hame,andI

will neXt proceed to describe the construction of the spreader ring. 17 designates the spreader-ring, and the same may be of ivory, metal, bone, or any other material. Acurved sheet-metal plate 18, tits within and over a yportion of the ring 17,. the said plate being provided at its edges with a plurality of flanges orclips 19, arranged in pairs and bent to clasp the ring whereby -the plate is secured rigidly thereon. The plate 18 is formed of springmetal and beyond the lowermost clips 19 is curved inward out of its original line forining a spring-tongue 20, which has a perforation, 21, therein. The upper end of the plate 18 has hinged thereto, as at 22, a tongue or bar 23, whose lower end is provided with a lug 24, which by a depi'ession of the tongue 20, may be brought into alignment with the perforation 21, and upon the liberation of said tongue may be engaged thereby so that the bar or tongue 23 is rigid and sub-divides the ringin the same manner as the bar or tongue 10 does the frame or ring 4. Of course, changes may be made in the manner of attaching the tongue to the ring as, for instance, in the modification which I have shown. The ring, 24, is therein shown as of metal provided with perforations and having a portion reduced forming bearing-portion 25, and at a point opposite the same provided with an internal enlargement 26, having counter-sink or seat 27. 28 designates atongue which is provided with an elongated slot 29 that receives bearing-portion 25, and which has at its lower end a counter-sink, and seated therein a coiledspring 30, which at its upper end, bears against the bearing-portion of the ring. A lug on the free end of the tongue or bar may be made to engage with the counter-sink in the enlargement 26, in a manner heretofore indicated,

From the foregoing description in connection with the drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a ring which, when the tongue or bar is in position, renders the opening in said ring so small as to prevent the turning of the reins or lines, and hence any twisting of the same whereby the reins or lines are preserved from being torn by reason of such twisting.

Having described claim is Y 1. The herein described line guidingspreadmy invention, what I erdring, the same having'at one side a reduced bearing portion and in line therewith a counter-sink orseat, in combination with a tongue having an elongated slot loosely mounted on the reduced `bearingfportion, a spring interposed between the end of the slot andthe bearing-portion, and alug on the free end of the tongue adapted to engage withA the counter-sink in the ring, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a haine, and a pair of eyek bolts extending therefrom, of a frame or ring having end trunnions engaging with the eye-bolts, and an intermediate pivoted tongue adapted tovclose or sub-divide the frame, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a hamefa pali` of eye-bolts projecting theref romand in vertical alignment, of a ring or frame having oppo site truiiuions at its inner corners, and its upper side between its ends reduced to form a bearing-portion, and its lower side provided with a counter-sink, a tongue .having an elongated slot, whose lower end is provided with a lug, engaging with the couiitersink and a coiled-spring seated in the slot and at its upper end bearing against the bearingportion, substantially as specilied.

4. A2ha'rness-ring comprising a'traiiie, a springpressed tongue yieldingly pivoted. at its end to one side thereof and extending there-across, and having a projection at its opposite end adapted to catch in an aperture in the frame, and a spring connected to the tongue for normally holding the stime in engagement with the aperture, substantially as specified.

5. The frame, the tongue slotted at one end to loosely engage and reciprocate upon the same, and extending there-across, said tongue being provided atits outer free end with a lug for engagingv an aperture in, the frame, and a spring seated in the slot of the tongue and bearingagainst the frame to normally press the tongue in a yielding manner into engagement with said aperture, substantially as specified. f

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I'have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two wtiiesses.

' MORTIMER o. FLACK.

Witnesses:

E. H. BROOKS, CHAs. S. FRENCH.

soY 

